Mr Obeid is accused of lobbying former ministers Mr Tripodi, Michael Costa, Eric Roozendaal and Carl Scully to renew three cafe leases on government-owned land at Circular Quay without a tender.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption has heard he kept his family's ownership of the leases secret and in doing so crossed the line between being a lobbyist and an MP.

Mr Tripodi's former deputy chief of staff, Lynne Ashpole, has told the ICAC her boss told her Mr Obeid had an interest in the cafes in 2006.

Ms Ashpole, who worked for Joe Tripodi between 2006 and 2007 when he was ports minister, said he told her Mr Obeid "wasn't very happy" about an expression of interest going out for the leases.

Mr Tripodi is yet to give evidence at the ICAC, but has previously stated he did not know the Obeid family owned the leases when he renewed them.

Commercial lawyer Paul Scanlan, who in 2005 was employed to "assist the tenants" at Circular Quay, also denied knowing the Obeids owned the cafes.

Mr Scanlan said he was instructed by Mr Obeid's brother-in-law John Abood, who fronted the businesses.

But the inquiry was shown a record of various phone calls Mr Scanlan had with Eddie Obeid's son Moses, including one call in 2005 that went for 17 minutes.

Mr Scanlan said he had dealings with Eddie Obeid's sons Damian and Moses, but with no-one else from the family.

The inquiry heard that under Joe Tripodi the leases were not put out to tender and that the Obeids wanted five-year leases and a rent reduction of around $100,000 for each cafe.

'He did not tell me anything'

Eric Roozendaal, who preceded Mr Tripodi as ports minister from 2005 to 2006, said he was told leaseholders at Circular Quay were not being treated fairly, especially after putting a lot of work into their venues before the 2000 Olympics.

Mr Roozendaal told the ICAC that although Mr Obeid was "an influential member of the Labor Party" and someone who "supported him politically", he did not know he owned cafes at Circular Quay.

"He did not tell me anything at all," Mr Roozendaal said.

Mr Roozendaal quit politics earlier this year after being cleared by the ICAC of allegations he accepted a discount on a car as a bribe from the Obeids.

Today he denied knowing about any political donations from lease holders.